He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, let's do this then."
I had to hand it to him, when he set his mind into trainer-mode, he didn't let anything distract him. I knew because I'd tried everything short of turning up naked. It was totally worth it, though. An hour of training with him in the gym was like foreplay on steroids.
By the time he’d announced we were done, I was sweaty and panting. Only part of that was due to how hard he'd made me work out. After my bruises from the car crash began fading, Kody and Archer sat down and worked out a training plan for me, and I had to admit, they knew what they were doing.
In just ten days—since they started training me—I already felt more confident in my strength, endurance, and ability to fight back if anyone attacked. I still had a long way to go before any of them would feel confident that I could defend myself without them around. Hell, I doubted that day would ever come, regardless of how highly skilled in mixed martial arts I became, but it was nice that I no longer felt like a weak little girl.
"Here," Kody said, tossing me a water bottle. I caught it and took a long drink, trying to calm my breathing. My face was hot, and little strands of hair stuck to the back of my neck. Gross. I needed a shower.
I sat down on the mat, stretching out my leg muscles while Kody went to collect his phone from the sound system. When he came back over to me, though, there was a small frown marring his brow.
"What is it?" I asked with dread. He was looking down at something on his phone and handed it over as he sat opposite me on the mat.
"No turning back now," he commented as I scanned the article. It was the online version of the Shadow Grove Gazette, and the article was one that Archer and I had answered pages and pages of questions for a week ago. It was our official engagement announcement, splashed all over the tabloid newspaper for all of Shadow Grove—and most of California, probably—to see and read about. There was even a sickly sweet photo of the two of us that the reporter had taken.
"This feels so weird," I muttered, handing his phone back with a sigh. "We're announcing a fake engagement a solid year and a half after being actually married, all to lure my wannabe assassins into a trap where we can turn the tables and wipe the slate clean."
Kody didn't reply, just slipped his phone into his pocket and stretched his own hamstrings out.
"What?" I demanded after a moment of tense silence.
His gaze shot back up to mine, and he sighed. "Sorry, I'm..." He trailed off with a guilty smile. "I'm jealous as fuck. I know it's not a real wedding, but it feels like this plan is robbing us of that whole experience."
Surprise flickered through me. "Um, you think about that? About us getting married for real?"
Kody met my gaze unflinchingly, and the answer was undeniable without him ever saying a word.
Shit.
"When you know, you know, babe," he told me with a lopsided smile. Without waiting on me to say something back, he pushed up off the mat and held out a hand to me. "Come on; we've got twenty minutes before I need to go. Let's hit the steam room."
Now that was a plan I could get on board with. Twenty minutes with Kody in the steam room? Hell yes, that was a worthy reward for the torture he’d just put me through.
The steam room was attached to the indoor pool, and I eyed the water with longing as we passed by. Maybe I'd take a swim after the steam room; I wanted to make the most of the twenty minutes before Kody had to leave for his client.
We didn't bother grabbing towels, instead, stripping out of our work-out clothes right there outside the steam room and entering totally naked. Why not, right?
Except we weren't alone.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Kody exclaimed when someone moved in the fog.
A familiar laugh echoed back. "It's just me," Steele replied. "But you two should probably have checked first. What if Steinwick was in here?"
"Ew," I groaned. "Thanks for the visual." I made my way over to where he lay on the highest bench, a towel draped loosely over his waist and his skin still slick with chlorinated water. Steele had been swimming.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he greeted me, arms linked behind his head as he eyed me with open appreciation. "What happened to you last night?"
I wrinkled my nose, taking a seat on a bench lower than him but turned sideways so we could talk. Kody sat behind me, then settled his magic hands on my aching muscles.
"My chat with Archer turned into a whole thing," I admitted. "You were so peaceful when I came up I didn't want to disturb you."
"Hellcat, you can always disturb me." He gave me a sleepy sort of smile, his gaze skating down to my tits and lingering there. His chest was bare, the red line of his healing scar exposed. It was such a strange thing that an injury as life threatening as a bullet to the chest could be reduced to just a line of scarring.
I reached out and traced my fingernail gently beside it, reminding myself for the thousandth time that he was still here. My stalker hadn't succeeded in taking him away from me. From us.
Kody's hands on my shoulders slid lower, his thumbs finding a tight spot near my spine, and I moaned on reflex.
"Fuck," Steele breathed. "Do that again."
Kody let out a soft chuckle. "This?" he repeated the movement, kneading the tight knot in my back and dragging an even longer moan out of me. Holy crap. I had my own personal masseuse and had never even known it.
"Shit yeah," Steele murmured back. His eyes were locked on mine now, his gaze heated. "How is it that you can get me so goddamn hard with just one sound?"
"Probably because it's the same sound she makes when your dick enters her for the first time," Kody offered, his hands drifting around to cup my breasts. My nipples were already tight, and just the lightest brush of his thumbs sent a shudder of arousal rushing through me.
Steele watched with hunger, and I licked my lips.
"How hard does it make you, Max?" I dragged my fingers down his torso, dancing them across each of his defined abs until I reached his towel. His tented towel.
A sly smile curved his lips, and I caught a flash of his tongue stud between his teeth. Fuck, I loved his piercings. "Careful, Hellcat. You're playing with fire. I dreamed about your body all damn night."
"Didn't we all?" Kody agreed. One of his hands left my breast and dipped lower, sliding between my legs and finding my slick folds. I'd been wet from the moment he woke me up with his face between my thighs; I was practically gushing now. "Go on, Steele. Show her what she's doing to you."
With small nudges, Kody shifted my position until I was on my knees facing Steele as he lay on the higher bench. Steele sat up slowly and swung his legs around until his knees bracketed my body and his towel-draped waist was in front of my face.
Kody's hand was still between my legs, his fingers sliding up and down my wet cunt but only teasing, never giving me what I wanted. Fuck. Fuck. They were feeling evil this morning, I could already tell.
"I dunno," Steele murmured as he tugged his towel free and wrapped his hand around his hard length. "Maybe I wanna hear you beg for it, Hellcat."
Kody's fingers slipped inside me, and I let out a sound of protest.